Net Neutrality!!

As expected, most magazines will feature the Ben Affleck Jennifer Garner breakup on their covers this week, with PEOPLE and US leading the way.

Let’s start with PEOPLE, always more celebrity-friendly, and especially in this case, since they were the first to receive the official divorce statement from the couple and the first to publish photos of them in the Bahamas. But even PEOPLE can’t avoid the infidelity rumours. Although they don’t come right out and accuse Ben Affleck of being unfaithful, they get close. They actually get surprisingly close:

According to a longtime friend of the actress, Affleck recently came to Garner "and told her he had not been committed to the marriage within the past few years," her friend says. "Jen is a fighter. She would not give up unless there was a good reason."Several sources close to Garner also say that allegations of infidelity (which Affleck vehemently denies) and other troubling behavior, including drinking and gambling, took their toll on the marriage. "She loved Ben," says another close friend. "But there comes a time when you have to say enough is enough and take care of yourself."

You can throw “vehemently denies” in parentheses over and over again but the main takeaway from those two paragraphs is that cheating was an issue. And over at US Weekly, they’re much more direct about it:

One pal claims, in the past year, Garner told her friends that Affleck had “admitted to cheating” with an attractive love interest. A devastated Garner kicked the two-time Oscar winner out of their $17.5 million home in L.A.’s Pacific Palisades, “but eventually decided to forgive him,” says the insider. Meanwhile, a source close to Affleck insists, “Ben did not cheat on Jen.” The A-listers may be the only ones who know the truth, but at least one thing seems certain: Garner's trust had been irrevocably broken. Indeed, insiders say there was plenty of mistrust during their decade-long union. “She tried to leave him a few times, but he would beg her to stay,” one source says of the pair, who fell in love while filming 2003’s Daredevil.

“An attractive love interest?” No one can name names. But come on, you know, you know everyone knows the names.

Most sources I’ve spoken to say that Ben Affleck’s not a bad guy. That he’s actually a nice guy. A very nice, very insecure guy with self-destructive tendencies. That’s how Gwyneth Paltrow described him and I know I keep coming back to this quote but it keeps telling us so much, even though she said it over 10 years ago:

"Ben makes life tough for himself. He's got a lot of complication, and you know, he really is a great guy. So I hope he sorts himself out."

He does. He sorts himself out. He goes forward. And then he goes backward. And the best explanation I’ve been given for this lately, as all of this has gone down, has been from a source who describes him like this:

“It’s almost like he doesn’t believe he deserves any of his success. So he tries to sabotage it. And when he f-cks it all up, he can put himself in the underdog/victim role again and make a comeback.”

How would a guy like that deal with having to play Bruce Wayne, Batman, after carrying all the disappointment of Daredevil? That’s EXACTLY why he took on the role. But for all his determination to prove that he can be a superhero, you have to wonder how he works through the self-doubt.

Also attached – Ben in LA after returning from the Bahamas last week looking wrecked. And arriving in Atlanta yesterday where Jennifer Garner is shooting a new film. According to PEOPLE, he brought gifts for his children and is determined to see them as much as possible. Ironic, a little, non? Atlanta wasn’t great for their marriage. But it would appear that he’s trying to make that comeback, again.

Pop Sugar has the exclusive photos of Jennifer Garner on Monday on the set of her new movie Miracles From Heaven. Click here to see. Her hair is lighter and there’s a ring on her finger. Just like there was a ring on Ben Affleck’s finger in the totally not staged, super candid photos that PEOPLE posted yesterday – click here for a refresher.

Apparently Ben returned to LA on Friday. PEOPLE reports that he went out on Sunday, no ring this time. They also say that Jen and the kids stayed a couple more days before leaving Baker’s Bay. PEOPLE obviously has a lock on their schedule, or at least what they want you to know about their schedule. And their relationship right now. So, officially, they are moving ahead during this difficult time, prioritising the children, no animosity. Remember this, then, as we approach the start of Comic-Con where he and Warner Bros will present Batman vs Superman. Where he will be surrounded by media, an event that should certainly be considered as one of the most critical moments of his career. As I wrote last week, he’s capable of that kind of charm. A sheepish grin, a self-deprecating shrug. A carefully worded but casually delivered, likely pre-scripted line, yeah, life kinda sucks right now, or something to that effect…and let the chin dimple do the rest. Who’ll be able to resist it? That could potentially be a big win for him. It’s just that the high from that kind of thing never lasts.

Well this is great timing, isn’t it? It was confirmed yesterday that Batman vs Superman will be at Comic-Con and that Ben Affleck, despite the fact that he just announced his divorce, will make an appearance though it’s been stressed that there will be no personal questions. Of course not.

And here’s the cover of the new issue of Entertainment Weekly featuring Batfleck, Superman, and Wonder Woman front and centre. The magazine also has exclusive photos from the film, including a shot of Batman and Superman getting all up in each other’s faces…

…and Bruce Wayne and Diana Prince flirting at a cocktail party:

Of the relationship between Bruce and Diana, Ben told the EW that:“I love the fact that there was this Thomas Crowne Affair, Bond-y sexy scene that they wrote about two people who are pretending to be two different people who each know the secrets of the other person.”Oh yeah. Totally.

Good timing or bad timing?

Would it have been better to wait until after Comic-Con to go with the official breakup confirmation? Or does this get the distraction out of the way so that Ben can focus on Batman for the next 9 months without the question mark interfering?

Ben and Warner Bros have a solid partnership. He’s one of the WB boys alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, and Bradley Cooper. So, ostensibly, there’s a lot of pressure on him to handle it…but they also must have some confidence on how he can handle it. We’ve seen him handle it before. Part of the reason Ben Affleck has been successful is because he can be charming and disarming. When he’s in the mood, when he gets out of his own way, he’s a funny, self-deprecating guy. All it takes from him on the panel, in Hall H in San Diego, is a sheepish shrug, with a crooked smile, and sad eyes…

“Yeah, it’s probably not my best week…” followed by some kind of joke and we’re halfway there. People will laugh. They’re almost be relieved and, crazily enough, even grateful that he’s the one acknowledging the awkwardness and trying not to make it more awkward. Men get away with this sh-t all the time. See Hugh Grant.

Managing Ben in San Diego will be key. If were on the Affleck babysitting team, I’d get him in and out quickly – panel, photos, one or two closely monitored, non-threatening interviews, and then out. Because if you let him stay to party…well…that’s a classic Affleck f-ckup waiting to happen. He often erases his own gains.

Click here to read more about Batman vs Superman at EW.com and click here to see more photos, including Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner’s divorce is big news. So, of course, people have been talking a lot about the first Jennifer, the first Bennifer: Ben and JLO. JLO spent the weekend in the Hamptons with Slum Bear. He was riding around in his douchey scooter-segway the other day while shopping with her and the dog – click here to see. It’s actually one of the few times, maybe the only time, that I was happy that he was with her. Because of all the rumours that she had something to do with the Affleck-Garner split.

Bullsh-t.

Ben has his distractions. But beyond showing up in his spank bank, JLO was not one of them. And neither wasMargot Robbie. I think the business with Margot Robbie came from an Australian tabloid. That’s your first sign that it’s sketch. What they were reaching for there is that Robbie is hot and she’s on Suicide Squad and Ben’s Batman will cameo in Suicide Squad. But…he was on set for, like, a day. The movie’s being shot in Toronto. She’s been here for months. And her boyfriend is around her all the time, and they’re all over each other all the time. There’s no story here.

There were a lot of women. Oklahoma was a few years ago. But Oklahoma was certainly not the one who was the most recent, although the most recent, professional turned personal, that I know of at least, is also not that recognisable, for now. She’s waiting for her moment.

Still, these affairs were not the biggest problem. The biggest problem is one he developed on the set of his most recent project. It started with pills and an injury a few years ago. Somehow he was able to function through that. Recently though he was shooting on location. He was a mess. He would go missing overnight. Not the prescription pills now but a hard drug. A very dangerous one. Not the party kind but the kind that brings you down, often alone, to escape. One that not too long ago took the life of a major, major talent. So it’s not the lovers that made him unsuitable for home. This is why she didn’t trust him at home. This is why she had to shake him up. But it’s not like he can get help openly. Not now, when so much is riding on him, with so much coming up. And that’s always been how Hollywood works. Your health is not the priority when there’s a multi-million dollar marketing strategy in place and so many stories to tell. So, sure, he has a support system, a lot of people out there looking out for him. But… is that the right objective?

You thought I was talking about Chavril, didn’t you? Chavril is the first couple of Canadian music, ok? The Great Canadian Love Story was always McGosling, Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling. And there’s been a sinkhole in Canadian hearts ever since they broke up and DID NOT GET BACK TOGETHER, even though people keep, futilely, hoping for it.

But now… a worthy replacement?

US Weekly reportedly exclusively yesterday that Rachel and Taylor Kitsch, who met many years ago and who worked together on True Detective 2, are now a thing. One of the magazine’s sources says that:

“It hasn’t been long. But it’s serious.”

Another source, however, tells US Weekly that:

“I don’t know if it’s full-blown love yet, but they talk constantly. They’re really into each other. She talks about him all the time!”

As you know, the two were papped out for dinner about a month ago – click here for a refresher. He left on his bike, she took off in a cab. To me, that wasn’t all that convincing but I didn’t want to kill your dreams. But now, your dreams have seemingly come true.

McTaylor/McKitsch for real?

I’ll believe it (even though they were also reporting that she and Colin Farrell were happening for a while, and Rachel and Jake Gyllenhaal too) but I have some hesitation about these quotes from these sources. Because neither of them, Rachel and Taylor, are known to associate with sellout friends who leak to the tabloids. Because neither spend a lot of time in LA. Taylor has a home in Austin and Rachel, as well documented, would rather be in Toronto. You see what happens though when you get a job that requires you to live in LA for three months? That’s how quickly the LA asshole can infiltrate your life.

Anyway, Rachel should soon be promoting Southpaw…with Jake Gyllenhaal as the film opens July 24. Perhaps the story will change again then. Although I should clarify…when I say I “wonder”, she has nothing to do with it.

But can we take this opportunity to talk about True Detective 2, the show that’s trying so hard to be Dark! Sinister! Layered! I have a really hard time with how often the story needs to slap me in the face with the obviousness of everyone’s daddy issues. I can barely tolerate the dialogue. But Rachel is, by far, the best of them all at delivering it. Finally, right? In 2006, the Wall Street Journal profiled Rachel, basically calling her the Next Big Deal. They compared her to a Stradivarius. They wrote about how everyone in Hollywood was chasing her, wanting to work with her. They knew she was capable of all kinds of work beyond the rom-com. But it took 9 years for us to see this kind of raw grit. Somehow, in spite of the clunky writing, I believe everything that comes out of Rachel’s mouth on this show. She is easily the whole point of the show so far.

You know what the downside of that is though? As much as I like him, as fond as I am of Riggins, as much I want for Taylor Kitsch to succeed, Rachel’s acting, on top of the decent performances that Colin Farrell and Vince Vaughn are turning in, leaves Taylor exposed. He’s just…not that strong of an actor. (Yet?) On Friday Night Lights, surrounded on the same level with other young actors, he didn’t stand out so much. But on this show, with what he has to keep up with, it’s hard to ignore. Like that breakup scene in episode 2? That breakup scene was really, really painful. I’m watching episode 3 tonight. I’ll let you know if it gets better.